Creating a trove of digital assets at Facing History and Ourselves

Abstract

In 2011, Facing History and Ourselves set out to fundamentally change its management and use of its media collections. Starting with inaccessible legacy media, inconsistent distribution mechanisms and media management challenges, Facing History has successfully digitised its legacy media, established policies for born-digital production, established a taxonomy, and implemented and rolled out a digital asset management system created by Orange Logic. As a result, the organisation is able to maximise its use of video and image assets in online and print learning materials, professional development programmes, and conventional and social media outreach. This paper explores the processes, challenges and considerations involved in creating a digital asset management system from both the client and the vendor perspectives.